Rescued Duty (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #5)

CHAPTER 1

Favors were a dangerous currency to deal in. Too many hidden costs. As a private investigator, Penny Mitchell knew better. People got sucked into all kinds of trouble from helping out a friend. Which was why she liked her solitary life back in Denver. Less blowback. Less entanglements. Less complications.

And yet, here she was, in the last place on earth she wanted to be, all because a former coworker had given her those Bronco tickets for her nephew’s birthday and now he was cashing in the favor.

Man, she needed to get this job done and get out. Before anyone knew she was in town.

She killed the engine of her Ford Edge, reached over the almost-empty coffee cup and half-eaten bag of sunflower seeds for her camera in the passenger seat. She held it to her eye, focused across the street at the red Nissan Rogue and the woman behind the wheel. The curly dark hair and round face with glasses came into sharp focus. Penny snapped a few pictures.

She should’ve turned down the job ATF agent Ben Freeman had begged her to take as soon as her target had headed west from Denver. He’d assured her that Emma Kemper wasn’t a criminal mastermind like her bomb-making brother Vince. Which meant tailing her and snapping some photos should be an easy assignment.

But there was nothing easy about being here . The sooner she could get the heck out of here the better. Because if Penny didn’t run into someone she knew, the memories themselves would drive her away.

All right, Emma. What are you doing here?

Last Chance County’s little warehouse district wasn’t a travel destination. There was no hotel in this part of town. No Airbnbs or cute rentals. Just some old metal-sided buildings and dilapidated brick storefronts from an era gone by. And Emma was simply sitting in her driver’s seat. This felt more like a purposeful destination. Like she might be here awhile.

Penny used voice commands to make a call.

“Freeman here. Whatcha got, Mitchell?”

“Does Emma Kemper have connections to Last Chance County?” If he knew, he was cunning to have kept it from her when he’d asked for this “itty bitty favor.”

“We haven’t been able to find much about her. That’s why we hired you. Why? Is that where she is?”

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t,” Penny ground out. She shouldn’t be so snippy. But…Last Chance. Really?

“Huh. I woulda thought she was heading for Nevada or Arizona, where she grew up. But that’s good that it’s Last Chance. With Jude Brooks there, you’ll have some backup if you need it.”

“I don’t need backup.” She needed to get out of here as soon as possible. “Are you sure she doesn’t have known associates here? I could capture her tonight and bring her in.” Then the job would be done. Favor fulfilled and she could move on with her life and not worry about running into her past.

“Nice try. Emma flew under the radar while we focused on her brother. She has no record, but she might have been sent by Vince to do some of his dirty work. I need you to keep your distance and gather intel, Ms. Private Investigator. No formal charges yet.”

Penny switched the camera to one hand and downed a swig from her cup.

Ugh. She almost spat out the cold dregs of her gas-station coffee. Instead, she forced herself to swallow it. She needed the caffeine.

“You still haven’t gotten anything out of Vince Kemper?” Ben Freeman was sharp and had a rather intimidating presence with his tall, beefy frame. The scrawny explosives expert hardly seemed like a formidable opponent. “I would’ve thought by now you would’ve cracked him.”

“He may be a pasty scrap of a man, but he’s not saying a thing. And he covered his tracks well. We haven’t been able to untangle much here. It’s up to you now to make sure Emma isn’t involved in his bomb-making agenda. And if she is, then maybe we’ll be able to figure out what the endgame is, cuz we’re getting a whole lot of nothing.”

Gee, no pressure. Penny blew out a long breath. This meant staying longer.

“What’s the matter? She get away from the great Penny Mitchell?” He chuckled.

But there was nothing funny about this. Penny was barreling straight toward a disaster if she spent any more time in the area than absolutely necessary.

“I have her in my sights. I just didn’t think this job would bring me to Last Chance County.” She snapped a few more pictures as Emma turned toward the window, giving Penny a better angle of her face.

“Jude can bring her in for questioning or take over if you want to be done. Which, by the way, if you get tired of the wandering lifestyle, he’s requested more staff for the satellite ATF office there in Last Chance.”

“You suggesting I come back to the dark side?” Jude Brooks, her former coworker, had followed a case to LCC, where he’d spent his childhood summers, and reunited with Andi Crawford two years ago. Little had he known then, when he brought Penny in on the case to help capture Diego Ruiz Sosa, the series of events he would kick off. It had been nice to be a part of a case for a while, the thrill and adventure of tracking down a cartel leader. Something different than finding cheating spouses or gathering intel on criminals for the lawyers, or the private security she did for the rich and entitled. Now Sosa was dead, and Jude and Andi were married.

She, on the other hand, was still single—just the way she liked it—and in danger of getting sucked down a rabbit hole if she stayed any longer than necessary.

“Being a federal agent isn’t all bad. Jude has a great thing going there.”

And Jude deserved all the good things life had to offer. Including the tightly knit family he’d recently married into and a place like Last Chance to put down some roots.

So yeah, she’d given up a few things for the sake of being in business by herself. And at times like now, it would be really convenient to have the authority to bring Emma Kemper in. But no way did she want to give control over to someone else. Because those jobs came with bosses. Bosses who led people on, made promises they didn’t intend to keep.

No, thank you.

“That’s great for Jude, but I’m happy where I’m at. Charging the big bucks. You sure this is worth my hourly rate?” Because she wasn’t sure there was any compensation worth the risk to her heart of being back here.

Maybe she should let Jude pick it up from here. He could keep an eye on things. She could get back to the open road. Freedom.

But her bank account balance flashed through her mind. She might not be in dire straights yet, but she needed the work. And she did have a professional reputation to consider. If she couldn’t complete this job, who knew if Ben would give her another? She liked to stay near Denver so she could see Libby and the kids more often.

Of course, she always talked her sister into coming to see her so she could avoid this kind of thing. But with Libby’s family living here, Penny should be the one to make sure there was nothing dangerous going on. She groaned again.

“Do you want me to contact Jude? If you really don’t want this job?—”

Her father’s voice echoed from the past. Buck up, Pen.

“Nah, no need to bother the newlyweds. I’m just whining.”

“Hey, that reminds me. Why didn’t you make it to the wedding? You missed seeing Jude do the Macarena. Those Crawfords sure know how to throw a party.”

Yes, they did. Memories of country music, learning how to two-step, and a certain masculine beachy fragrance floated through her mind.

“I…had a job I couldn’t get out of in time. But I sent Jude and Andi an obnoxiously expensive gift, so all was forgiven.”

The hefty price tag hadn’t made her feel any better though. No one had to know that she’d specifically taken a job that’d meant she would be gone that day. And no need for Jude or any of his in-laws to know she was in the vicinity now.

Especially Bryce.

The handsome rescue firefighter, one of Andi’s brothers, probably hadn’t given her a second thought since the last time she’d hightailed it out of the county a year and a half ago.

And it was better for everyone if it stayed that way. Even if there wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t see something that reminded her of him. Try as she might, it was hard to forget those passionate brown eyes.

“You missed a good reception.” Freeman obviously wasn’t going to let it drop.

Movement on the sidewalk across the street grabbed Penny’s attention.

“I need to go. Someone else is coming. I’ll let you know when I find anything.”

“If Emma ends up sticking around, contact Jude.”

Not unless she absolutely had to. “Bye.”

The high desert sunset softened to a lavender haze behind the mountains outside of town. She had to give it to Jude, he’d picked a beautiful place to live. Something like a sigh escaped as she watched the street. Some things just weren’t meant to be.

She sat up and watched two men park a truck and approach Emma’s car. One stocky and tall, the other average height and thin. Penny took pictures as they came closer. Both had darker hair and olive skin tones that could be from a variety of ethnicities. The lighting wasn’t great, but hopefully she could still identify them later.

Emma got out and opened the back of the SUV. She pulled a couple duffel bags out and handed them to the men. Then she grabbed another. They turned down an alley between two of the buildings and were out of sight.

Penny checked her Smith & Wesson Equalizer and quickly ran across the street to follow them just as the streetlights turned on. Her black leather jacket helped fight off the spring chill in the air and blend her into the night shadows. Too bad it didn’t have a hood to hide her blonde head. She picked up her pace and approached the alley between the warehouse and the empty store next to it. She peered around the corner.

Empty. Just scraggly weeds growing in the cracks of the asphalt between the buildings, and trash scattered against the wall.

They had to be close. Penny jogged down the alley. There. A door in the warehouse hadn’t quite closed.

With gun in hand, she toed the door open a smidge, testing it to see if the rusty hinges would squeak. It opened quietly.

Good. She peeked in first, then slipped into the dark building, letting her eyes adjust. Voices carried from deeper within the space.

Penny crouched by a pile of pallets just inside the doorway and scoped out the area. Tall metal shelves were mostly empty, although some held boxes. An old forklift off to the side looked like it hadn’t been started in decades. But the tables in the middle were bright white plastic, like the kind one could find at the nearest Costco. Those must be new. And the folding chairs didn’t look too worn either.

There was nowhere else to hide in the cavernous space. Emma spoke to a tall man, but in the dark there was no way Penny could distinguish any features. Not even the color of his hair. His bright flashlight shone down at the table between them. Where had the other two guys gone?

“Did you bring them?” the new man asked.

“I’ve got them here.” She dropped the duffel bag on the table and wrapped her arms around the man’s neck. “I’ve missed you.” Pulling him close she gave him a lingering kiss.

“Me too.” He kissed her back. “But everything is in place now. So let’s see what you brought.”

She opened the duffel to show him.

“Good.” The man reached in and grabbed a smaller bag out of the duffel. “And your brother? He was able to finish his work?”

“Of course. The devices are here.” She unzipped a different pocket. “He showed me how to set them.”

So much for the theory that Emma wasn’t involved with Vincent’s agenda.

Penny tried to move closer and get a better look, but there was no cover. She used her phone to get a couple of pictures. However, she couldn’t see one distinguishing feature of Emma’s boyfriend in the dark. The hooded sweatshirt he wore kept his face shadowed.

“And you’re sure he won’t?—”

Emma huffed. “He’s not going to rat us out. My brother understands how important this is. Now, can we get out of here? I want to see the new?—”

“Boss, we’re set.” The thin guy from out front jogged over from a door on the wall across from Penny. It must’ve been an office of some sort. “We need to go.”

Boss handed the duffel with the hidden device to his cohort. “You know where to put it.” The man snatched the bag and ran up the metal stairs in the back of the warehouse while Emma and her guy headed straight toward Penny and the alley door.

Penny quickly moved to the back of the pile of pallets. If she opened the door now, they’d see her. As soon as they left she could follow and find out who?—

“What do you think you’re doing?” A dark and ominous voice sounded behind her. But it was the click of the safety being switched off that immediately put Penny on edge.

Cold metal pressed into the back of her head. “Drop the gun now.”

“Who’s there?” Boss Man asked.

Penny tensed her grip on the gun. She could make a move and take out the guy behind her, but the boss pulled out a gun of his own. If he came closer, maybe she could ID him, but it was still too dark.

She needed more time. She tried a little chuckle. “I was lost, I was just looking for?—”

“I said drop it. I have no problem putting a bullet in you,” the man behind her said.

And from the hardness in his voice, Penny didn’t doubt it.

“Al, get outta here. I’ll take care of her.” The man spoke to Emma’s boyfriend.

“Stick to the plan. Let the blast take care of her and get out.” He led Emma out of the warehouse.

Clearly Emma was no innocent bystander. That girl was in this up to her eyeballs and apparently didn’t care about leaving a fellow female to the mercy of whoever had a gun to her head.

Penny was on her own. “Look, I was just trying to find?—”

“This is your last chance. Put. Down. The. Gun.”

She slowly lowered her gun to the ground. The pressure of the man’s weapon against her skull didn’t give her a choice. Before she could stand up, he yanked her arms behind her and dragged her toward the back. He had to be tall. And big.

Penny was no lightweight, but his grip had no give to it whatsoever. She fought, pulling away from him, but her shoulders screamed as they were trapped against his chest.

Trapped. Again. With no one to rely on for a rescue but herself. No surprise there. If she believed like she did when she was a little girl, she might’ve prayed. But that never changed anything.

Buck up, Pen.

Penny tried throwing her head back, driving it into what she hoped was his nose or another soft body part. Nope. His chin was as hard as her head.

He shook her and squeezed tighter. “You’re feisty, I’ll give you that. But this will not end well for you.”

Not if she had anything to say about it. “People are looking for me. They’ll be here any?—”

The other minion came barreling down the metal stairs. “It’s set. We have two min—who’s that?”

Two minutes? Penny’s mind raced.

“Doesn’t matter. We gotta go.” The hulk man dragged her farther.

“Shoot her and let’s get.” The skinny twerp said it like it was no big deal. Real upstanding friends Emma had.

“Shooting leaves a bullet in her. A bullet they can trace. We should find out who she is, but we don’t have time. Help me get her to that closet back there.”

Closet? No way!

The man in front of her went for her legs. Penny kicked and flailed. Her black combat boot connected with his jaw. He staggered away for a moment but then shook his head and came back. He wrapped two vise-like arms around her thighs while the brute behind her picked her up, squeezing her arms against her chest.

“Let me go! I can help you.” She tried to use her weight to throw them off-balance.

It was useless. They dragged her to the back of the room as Penny’s mental countdown kept going.

The guy holding her legs let go and opened a door. She was thrown in, and her head bounced off the cement. The door shut before she could even open her eyes. No!

Her head swam, waves of agony pounded. Thoughts jumbled together except for one clear truth. She was trapped.

“It’s not a basement. I’m fine.” Her voice wasn’t very convincing, even to her own ears. Too breathy. Too small. But if it tricked her brain into forgetting that she was alone, she would keep talking to herself. “Not a basement.”

She crawled to the door in the pitch black, too dizzy to stand. The knob didn’t budge. Her fingers felt the lock. Maybe she could pick it. But her pulse quickened. Her hands trembled. She couldn’t see a thing in the thick darkness, and her gas-station coffee and sunflower seeds were about to make another appearance.

Penny pounded on the door. “Let me out of here. I’m serious. I can help!”

One of the men laughed. Footsteps on the concrete floor grew quieter as they moved away. And then…silence.

They’d left her here to die. In the dark. Alone.

Penny tried the knob again, but it was useless. Her scream of frustration ripped through the darkness.

Her phone!

With shaky hands she pulled it out of her pocket. No reception. But she could use the flashlight. Maybe?—

A huge boom shook the building. Dust rained down. A paint can from the shelf above the door fell.

This was why she didn’t do favors.

She never should’ve come back to Last Chance County.